


For the Love of a Greaser

by KittyoftheNight



Category: The Outsiders (1983), The Outsiders - All Media Types, The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-03-04 03:06:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2906972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyoftheNight/pseuds/KittyoftheNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Abigail Winters and I've fallen for a Greaser, but what's so wrong with that? Especailly, when technically I'm a Greaser myself. Who knew that one fight at a diner would be all it took to bring two people together. That one fight would some how manage cross and wind their paths together so many times. Don't let me spoil the fun though, hop about and find out just how wild and crazy everything really is. Myself included. Darry/OC with hints of Winston</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Abigail and the Diner Nightmare

**For The Love of a Greaser**

**Chapter 1**

**Abigail and the Diner Nightmare**

     I let out a sigh as I sat there in bed, my knees pulled up to my chest and my head in my arms. It was another average day in Tulsa, but there were still so many things that needed to be done. The roof needed fixing, the same with the showerhead in the bathroom, even the kitchen sink. It was like the whole house was trying to fall apart on me. Even worse, I didn’t make that much money and I had to support both my sister and myself. I mean, what can you expect when you’re a waitress at a dinner? Next thing I knew, I heard my sister call for me.

     “Abigail, we’re out of milk,” she called from the kitchen.

     “Great, just great,” I groaned as I threw myself out of bed.

     I looked over at the clock resting on my nightstand. It read 10:23.It was then that I realized that Eden was supposed to be at school already and had no apparent reason for still being at home. It was already bad enough that she had skipped a day of school last week and now this. With that in mind I went over to my dresser and pulled out a pair of old faded jeans. I’d had them for about four years now and was in desperate need of new ones, but good jeans like these were hard to come by. Although, I suppose jeans were also the way to tell the difference between a Greaser and a Soc. People like us couldn’t afford the nicer things like Socs. Socs were always dressed up real nice like, while we were lucky to have what we had. I didn’t have the money to go out and spend on nicer things. I was lucky to have what I did and that was about it. If I did spend money on something like that, then it definitely wasn’t for me. No, if I did, then it was for Eden. With Eden in mind, I walked out of my room, pulling my light blue shirt over my head.

     “Eden,” I started as I walked down stairs, tucking my shirt in a bit like I normally did. “Why aren’t you at school right now?” I asked curiously as I came to stand in the opening of the kitchen, my back against the frame of the door way and my arms crossed over my chest.

     “Um, well, you see,” she stuttered nervously.

     It was obvious that she hadn’t thought things through properly. She always did this and I didn’t know why. She never thought things through properly. She was definitely nervous though upon realizing that she’d been caught.

     “That’s what I thought,” I said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a cup from the counter. “Get to school, okay?” I told her, watching as she got up and ran right passed me, a piece of toast in her mouth.

     “Bye sis,” she called, quickly grabbing her bag and running out the door.

     After I heard the door close behind her, I went over to the fridge and pulled out the carton of orange juice. It wasn’t my favorite, but I knew that it would have to do for now. After that, I collapsed in the chair, resting my forehead against the cold top of the table.

     If things kept going the way that they were at the moment, then I didn’t know what we’d do. I didn’t have to make any payments on the house, but we still had plumbing and electric to pay for. I still had this weeks groceries to buy and I wasn’t sure how much longer we could wait on the roof.  We already had plenty of water damage from last weeks rain and we were supposed to get even more sometime this week. There were even a few cracks in the ceiling from the weight.

     “It’s going to be a long week,” I said with a sigh, before downing my juice.

* * *

     I was about done with my shift when the bell on the door chimed, the sound echoing through the diner, alerting me that we had another customer. It was a couple of guys, Greasers to be precise. Now, I don’t have anything against Greasers per say, but I’ve still had troubles with some. There were always a few in particular that were causing problems, but from what I could tell, these two would be just fine. Besides, technically, I was a Greaser myself I guess. When I took a better look, I found that they were a couple of kids, maybe 14 years old at best. They were probably Eden’s age to be honest, since she was only 14 herself.

     “Hello, my name’s Abigail, how may I help you boys this evening?” I asked kindly as I came to stand in front of their booth.

     They both looked up at me for a moment, barely taking enough time to contemplate their orders. The youngest one from what I could tell anyway spoke first.

     “I’ll have a burger and a Coke if you please miss,” he said politely, turning to his friend a moment later. “What about you Johnny?” he asked.

     “I’ll have the same and some fries too if you don’t mind miss,” his friend Johnny said quietly, his bangs falling into his face a bit.

     “I’ll be right back then,” I said with a small smile, before turning around and going behind the counter to get their drinks.

     I put the order on the turner and spun it around for the cook to see, then I began filling the boys glasses with Coke. I didn’t get very far though before the bell rang again, this time bringing in a bunch of Socs.

     “Great, just what I needed,” I muttered to myself, placing the kids’ drinks on a serving tray.

     The last time that I had a bunch of Socs in here, I nearly lost a weeks worth of pay for something that _I_ started. I mean what a load of bull crap. Then again, the same thing happened to the other server because we could have 'handled' it better. Greaser, Soc, it doesn’t seem to matter really. Something stupid always seems to happen when I’m around. Maybe I just don’t have very good luck, I don’t know. All I know is that I’m tired of all of the crap.

     “Hey Abs, why don’t ya come over here with us and let those Greasers get their own food,” one of them called.

     “That’s Abigail to you buddy. Now, leave me be and wait your turn,” I warned, walking back over to the two kids sitting over at the booth.

     “Hey now, that’s no way to treat a customer Abs,” the guy said, walking over and grabbing me by the arm just as I sat the drinks down on the table.

     “Get your damn hands off me Rodney!” I spat, pulling away from him and nearly dropping him to the floor in the process.

     “Hey, leave her alone!” Johnny’s friend yelled, standing up and shoving Rodney away from me.

     Rodney didn’t seem to like this very much and got up in the kids face, shoving him back into the table and knocking the drinks over in the process. Now I had something else that I had to clean up.

     “Standing up for your little Greaser girlfriend?” Rodney taunted, shoving the kid again.

     “Just leave her alone, okay?” the kid tried, standing between the two of us.

     “Order up!” the cook called from the kitchen, the food being sat on the counter as he hit the little bell.

     It was as if the bell was their cue to start fighting, and before I knew it, fists were flying and a fight broke out.

     I had to duck out of the way as a glass was thrown, the pieces flying all over the place. Part of it hit me, making a nice sized cut right above my eye. A few minutes later, someone was thrown through the window of the diner. I ran and hid behind the counter as people went flying and I nearly screamed when one of the Socs were sent flying toward me. I kicked the guy in the face when he made a grab for me, but for that he nearly broke my wrist.

 _Why does this stuff always happen to me?_ I thought to myself, groaning out loud at the same time.

     Then in the back, I saw one of Rodney’s friends pull out a knife. I thought only Greasers carried those on them, but I guess I was wrong. I then jumped up when I saw him try to go after the kid that had tried helping me.

     “Kid, watch out!” I yelled, reaching out and grabbing him by the arm.

     I barely pulled him away in time and we went crashing down to the floor. I then pulled him toward me, covering his head with my arms as a glass shattered above our heads, shielding him from it as parts of it landed in my hair.

     “Thanks,” he nearly choked out, before trying to stand back up.

     “No you don’t, you’re staying right here. I’m not having you get killed because these idiots want to start a fight,” I told him, staring him straight in the eyes.

     It was like he’d seen this look plenty of times before and decided to stay put, much to my delight.

     “Now, before anything else happens, why don’t you tell me your name kid,” I said, letting my eyes flicker back and forth between him and everyone else.

     “The name’s Ponyboy, Ponyboy Curtis,” he said, holding his hand out.

     I shook it, putting on a small smile.

     “Nice to officially meet you Ponyboy. Now, I want you to stay here behind the counter, alright?” I told him, making sure that he did what I told him, before crawling toward the back.

     I nearly cried out when I felt a piece of glass go into my hand. I was so lucky that I was allowed to wear jeans here. That thought soon left my mind though when I made it to the kitchen door, pushing it open with my other hand. I let out a scream though when a bat came flying toward me.

     “Damn it Joe, it’s me!” I cried, moving out of the way before it hit me.

     It was then that he started apologizing like crazy. Apparently, he figured that I was one of the guys trying to get back to the kitchen and cause problem. I couldn’t really blame him though, I probably would have done the same thing to be honest. Although, I still didn’t appreciate having a baseball bat flying at me though.

     “When did you call the cops?” I asked quickly, opening the door a crack to look back out at the dinner.

     A glass came flying and shattered against the door a second later causing me to jump back.

 _I hope that Ponyboy’s alright_ , I thought to myself.

* * *

     About two hours later there was nothing else that I could do, but sigh. I barely managed to convince the cops to keep Johnny and Ponyboy out of jail, explaining to them half a dozen times what had happened and who had started everything. The kids had been unarmed. I couldn’t believe how stupid people could be, that and the fact that about half of the Socs bought their way out of a night or two in a jail cell. I mean, they had destroyed private property, assaulted innocent people, not to mention scaring the crap out of the owner of the dinner and myself. First, I had to worry about my sister. Second, I had to go to work and then deal with a bunch of Socs. Third, well, I’m walking two kids home after the cops had been called to break up the fight.

     Nothing was ever easy anymore, not since Mom died.

     “You know, you really don’t have to walk us home Miss Abigail,” Ponyboy said, rubbing the back of his neck.

     I just shook my head though. There was no way that I was going to let those two boys walk home alone, not after what happened earlier at the diner. No, I’d walk them home to make sure that nothing happened. Granted, you’d think that they’d be walking me home for the same reason, but still.

     “Don’t worry about it kid. Besides, you two helped me out and I think it’s only fair that I get you cleaned up Ponyboy. I mean, what would your family think?” I told him as I ruffled his hair in a friendly manner. “And call me Abby, okay? After what you two did, there’s no need to be so formal. Same goes to you Johnny.”

     I smiled to myself at this, leaving them with no choice really, but to call my Abby.

     “Hey Ponyboy, do ya mind if I stay at your house tonight?” Johnny asked as he walked beside Ponyboy.

     “Sure. In fact, you can stay in my room tonight Johnny. I’m sure that Darry won’t mind,” Ponyboy said.

     “Darry, is he your brother?” I asked curiously, coming to walk beside the two of them.

     “Yeah, him and Soda. Soda works up at the gas station and Darry roofs houses,” he told me, before digging into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette.

     “Wait, your brother roofs houses?” I asked, wanting to make sure that I heard right.

     “Yeah, that’s what I said. Why, is there something wrong with that?” he asked curiously, slightly worried that perhaps I didn’t approve.

     “Oh, no, no. You see, I’ve been trying to find someone that could fix my roof and I think you might have just solved my problem,” I told him.

     He seemed relieved upon hearing this, though I didn’t really know why.

* * *

     15 minutes later I was sitting there in his house on the couch cleaning him up. He had a few cuts that were pretty good. It amazed me the fight that he put up against those other guys, him and Johnny both. They were both pretty tough kids, but it was obvious that neither of them was the fighting type. Ponyboy in particular seemed like the gentle type to be honest, which made me wonder what the rest of his family were like. Normally, Greasers were the fighting type, then again, that was also stereotypical too. Take me for instance, I’m technically a Greaser, but I don’t fight unless I have to. Plus, it’s normally fighting for my sister’s sake then my own. I was about done with Ponyboy when someone came in through the front door, the sound of it closing behind them causing me to pull my eyes away from Ponyboy.

     “What in the hell happened to you Ponyboy?” came the man’s voice as he walked over and inspected the kid.

     I stood up and moved out of his way so that he could look him over. He was tall and definitely well built. With that in mind, I concluded that it must be Ponyboy’s brother, Darry.

     “You must be his brother,” I started, catching his attention to where he turned back toward me.

     “Yes, Ma’am. The name’s Darrel, but you can call me Darry,” he said, holding his hand out.

     I took it, shaking it. He had a strong grip, that was for sure. Then again, in his line of work it should be expected.

     “My name’s Abigail Winters. You can call me Abby if you wish,” I told him, bowing my head slightly. “You should be proud of your brother,” I said, gesturing my hand toward Ponyboy.

     “And why is that?” he asked, seeming a bit skeptical.

     “Well… let’s just say that there’s a few Socs at my diner that can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves,” I said bitterly, annoyed at the thought of Rodney.

     Darry seemed to get the picture, seeming a bit miffed his own self at hearing what I said. He obviously didn’t agree with the Socs actions.

     Soon though, Ponyboy took notice to my own wounds and scratches, getting up to stand next to me.

     “You know Miss Abigail, you should really get that looked at,” Ponyboy said.

     “Yeah,” Johnny pitched in.

     I just shook my head though. First off, I really didn’t have the time, nor a car to do such a thing.

     “I don’t have the money to be going to the hospital for something like this. Besides, I should be getting home. Eden’s been by herself for far too long tonight,” I told him getting ready to leave.

     It was then that Darry grabbed me by the arm, keeping me from leaving. All that I could do was turn back around to look at him, a questionable look on my face.

     “Why don’t you let me take a look at you, see if I can’t fix you up a bit?” he offered.

     I stood there for a moment, hesitating, unsure of what to do. After a moment or two longer though, I nodded my head, agreeing to the offer.

     “If you’re sure,” I started, only to be stopped by Darry.

     “I’m positive. After everything you did for Pony, it’s the least I can do for ya,” he assure me, before turning back to Ponyboy. “Ponyboy, why don’t you go upstairs and get ready for bed, you’ve got school in the morning,” Darry said, watching as his brother ran upstairs with Johnny.

     It made me laugh a bit though at how quick Ponyboy ran out of the room. This caused Darry to turn his eyes back toward me again.

     “He seems like a pretty good kid,” I said, allowing Darry to pull me down onto the couch with him.

     We still had the first aid kit out, so he just started pulling things out and sitting them down on the coffee table.

     “He is, when he’s not in fights that is,” he told me.

     “He doesn’t seem the type to start fights though,” I admitted.

     “That’s because he’s not. If he was, I’d kick his butt right into next week, same with Soda. I already have enough to deal with, so they know better,” he told me, putting a bit of peroxide on a cotton ball, and placing above my why.

     I hissed in pain as he did this, causing him to pull back for a moment.

     “Sorry,” he apologized, before pressing it back against my skin again.

     You’d think that I’d be used to this by now, but I wasn’t. I’ve dealt with it quite a few times these past four years and this was just another tally on the wall.

     “So, do you have to do this often?” I asked, referring to the fact that he was cleaning me up.

     “Every now and then, but enough. Either that or I’m fixing someone else up,” he told me as he put a bit of ointment on the spot.

     I didn’t really mind that much since it didn’t hurt. I was more surprised though at how gentle he was being. Working with roofs, I would think he’d be a bit more rough when it came to his hands. Then again, I suppose that he had his moments just like the rest of us.

     “Your brother tells me that you work in the roofing business,” I said off handedly, just trying to keep our small conversation going.

     He seemed to perk up a bit at my statement though, obviously catching his interest.

     “Yes Ma’am. Why, do you need some work done?” he asked.

     “Actually, yes I do. In fact, we’ve been needing someone to work on the roof for a few months now,” I told him.

     “Why now then?” he asked curiously, obviously wondering why I hadn’t done something about it sooner.

     I just scratched the back of my head nervously. I wasn’t exactly proud of my job. I mean, I never even tried to go to college because I had to worry about Eden.

     “Well, like I said, I work at a dinner so I don’t make much,” I said, catching him off guard a bit.

     “I’d imagine that you make plenty in tips though?” he inquired.

     “Well, it doesn’t do much when I have to take care of my sister…” I said quietly.

     When I said this he seemed to understand perfectly, inclining his head in a respectful manner.

     “I see what you mean. I’ve been looking after Soda and Ponyboy for a while now. It’s not easy I tell ya,” he said, opening up a bit.

     “Well, my dad left when I was 16, so I’ve been looking after Eden for the last four years now. I was lucky to manage finishing high school to be honest,” I said begrudgingly, but it wasn’t toward Eden, it wasn’t her fault.

     I was more upset with my father. He just up and left one day, leaving us behind and on our own. All I know is that after Mom died, he just started drinking all the time. I had to make sure to keep Eden away because I didn’t want her to see Dad like that. I didn’t want her around all of the alcohol. I even remember a few times I would leave the house some nights with her and we would stay in the park until I knew our father would be asleep.

     I hadn’t heard what Darry had said, so the next thing I knew, I was biting my tongue in pain as he pulled a bit of glass out of my hand. He soon apologized though, getting up and grabbing a wash cloth, coming back and pressing it to the palm of my hand.

     “I really am sorry Miss Abigail, but I did warn you,” Darry said as he cleaned my hand up.

     I just shook my head dismissively. It wasn’t his fault, I was the idiot that wasn’t watching where I was crawling earlier, not him. The only thing I did do though was watch him as he wrapped my hand up, making sure that it wasn’t too tight, but still tight enough that it wouldn’t come loose.

     “I think that ought to do it for now,” he said, standing up after placing everything back inside the little tin.

     I stood up as well, wincing when I placed pressure on my hand. I hate it when I hurt my hands, I really do.

     “Well, I should be getting home now. Thank you for your help Darrel,” I said, a friendly smile on my face as I walked toward the door.

     “Let me at least give you a ride home,” he said.

     “No, it’s alright, really,” I said, not wanting to bother him with it. “Besides, I only live a couple streets down, I’ll be fine,” I assured him.

     “Then let me walk you home then Miss Abigail. Trust me, it’s not safe at night to be walking around alone,” he informed me, walking toward the door. “Those Socs seem to be a problem as of late around here,” he persisted, making an obvious point.

     At that, I really couldn’t say no. After all, what would Eden do if something were to happen to me?

 _It couldn’t hurt. Heck, I could show him the house then,_ I thought to myself.

     “Alright, I see your point, and at least then you’ll know where I live,” I concluded, remembering the fact that he could help me with the roof.


	2. Checking the Roof? Try Falling Through It

**For The Love of a Greaser**

**Chapter 2**

**Checking the Roof?**

**Trying Falling Through It**

     The next morning I awoke to the sound of knocking at my front door. When I got up and looked out my window, I found Darry standing at my front door, and his truck parked out in front of my house.

     “I’ll be right down!” I called, shutting my window and going over to my dresser.

     I grabbed my jeans from the dresser and pulled them on, hopping around a bit in the process. I then grabbed my red sleeveless shirt and pulled it on before running down the stairs. That was my first mistake of the morning as I missed the second to last step and feel, tumbling down to the floor on my back.

     “Ow…” I groaned out, laying there for a moment.

     “Are you alright in there?” Darry called from behind the door.

     The only thing that I could do was say yes as I rolled myself over and got up. At least I made a decent first impression I guess. With that in mind I went to the door, turning the lock and opening it. Darry stood there rubbing the back of his neck, a slightly awkward smile on his face.

     “Are you alright?” he asked, coming inside once I moved out of the way.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine…in a hour or two,” I muttered at the end, turning back around and going to the refrigerator. “Please, make yourself at home,” I told him, gritting my teeth as I did it to try and hide the pain.

A sore back and head was the last thing that I needed.

“You sure that you’re alright?” came Darry’s voice.

I turned my head to find him standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a look of concern on his face. I just waved it off, grabbing a bottle of aspirin off the top of the fridge. Darry came over with a skeptical look on his face, before going and taking the bottle out of my hands.

“Hey, give it back!” I cried, jumping to try and get it back, but only ended up wincing pain as he held it out of reach. “Ow…” I groaned. “Okay, okay, you win,” I said with a sigh.

Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Darry sat the bottle down on the counter, allowing me to snatch it up and pop open the lid. I grabbed to aspirin and popped them in my mouth, grabbing a glass and turning the sink on. I was met with an onslaught of water as it sprayed me in the face.

Glaring, I went over to the fridge and pulled out the carton of orange juice, twisting the lid off and taking a swig.

“This house hates me,” I said bitterly, screwing the lid back on and nearly tossing the carton back in the fridge with a slam of the door.

“It can’t be that bad,” Darry tried to argue.

I just turned toward him, a dry look on my face.

“Darry,” I started, taking a few steps toward him. “I haven’t been able to take a proper shower in over a month because the water doesn’t stream out properly,” I told him, walking past him and up the steps.

I then walked into the bathroom and turned the sink on. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, groaning at what I saw. My hair was a bit of a mess, though I could have cared less about that. What I did care about was the fact that I had rings under my eyes at this point. I just splashed water onto my face, scrubbing a bit, before grabbing a towel and drying my face off.

“You look tired,” Darry said as I came back down the steps, the wood creaking under my feet.

“I don’t sleep well anymore,” I told him, this time being careful not to miss the steps.

It was true though, I didn’t sleep well anymore, I haven’t in a long time. Most times when I do I have nightmares, either that or I’m always waking back up to check on Eden and make sure that she’s sleeping okay. I nearly drive myself to exhaustion at times even because of it. It was even worse before Dad left. I was always worried for Eden. I was never really worried for myself, always Eden.

“So, where would you like to get started?” I asked, moving to slip my shoes on.

After this, I had to go to the store anyway. We still needed more milk and I had to pick up the groceries.

“Well, do you have a ladder?” he asked, his tool belt laying on top of his shoulder.

“Actually, I do, and you’re lucky since that’s probably the only decent thing in this whole house,” I said, tying up my shoelaces.

Once I was done with that, I went around back, pulling the ladder out of our little shed. I didn’t realize that Darry was so close, so I nearly hit him with the ladder by accident. He caught it though, stopping it from hitting him in the head.

“I’m so sorry,” I said frantically, trying my best to apologize.

“Don’t worry, you’re fine,” he assured me, taking the ladder from my hands and carrying it back toward the house.

I just stood there watching him walk away, almost dumbfounded for some reason or another. I guess I just expected him to be mad like most others got after something like that, but after being around him and Ponyboy last night I knew that that wasn’t the case. When I realized how far ahead of me he actually was, I ran after him, following behind him at a safe distance to make sure I wouldn’t get hit with the ladder like I did with Darry.

“First I’m going to have to check the roof over and then we’ll go from there, alright?”

I nodded my head in response, watching him as he sat the ladder down against the house and started climbing up. I held the ladder still as he went up though, seeing it wobble a bit. I definitely didn’t want him falling, that was for sure.

“I’m going to go back inside for a minute, I’ll be right back!” I called up to him.

“That’s fine,” he called back, starting his examination of the roof.

I went inside and back up stairs to my room. I could hear the roof creak as Darry walked around, making me a bit wary. It was already bad enough that I had a spot in my ceiling where water dripped from after each rain. I even had a tin can in my room that collected the water and kept it off of the floor. The thought itself irritated me as I pulled a jar out from under my bed. It was filled with change and bills, it was all that I had. Just as I was taking a few bills out though, I heard the sound of something cracking, only to look up and find Darry coming through the ceiling with a curse or two.

“Oh my Lord… Darry, are you alright!?” I shouted as his lower half hung from my ceiling, his legs moving around and kicking as he tried to get free.

“I’ll be fine if I can get out,” I heard him say.

 _Never thought this would be the first time I had a guy in my room,_ I thought to myself, my own ironic joke.

I then turned to my dresser, going over and pulling it. I pulled it right under Darry too.

“I’m going to try and help you out okay? Just don’t kick me!” I yelled, climbing up on top of my dresser and positioning myself underneath him.

From there, I grabbed hold of his leg and starting pushing upward, trying to help give him enough leverage to get out of the hole that he’d gotten himself into.

* * *

It took about five minutes for old Darry to work himself loose, but he couldn’t have done it without Abigail’s help, and he was very grateful. Once he was free he came right down off of the roof, making sure to brush himself off.

Abigail came running out a moment later looking a bit frazzled, but he couldn’t really blame her. No doubt, he gave her quite the scare when he came through the roof. Heck, if he was honest about the whole thing, he’d actually scared himself too. He’d fallen through roofs before, but that one definitely took the cake.

“Are you alright Darry?” Abigail asked, watching as he rolled his shoulder a bit, trying to work out the pain.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse, trust me,” he assured her. “Do you mind if I take a few aspirin though?” he asked, only to have her shove him and go back inside.

He couldn’t help, but to laugh a bit. Then again, he supposed that he deserved it. After all, he did scare her and put a hole through her roof, but she didn’t seem mad at him surprisingly enough.

* * *

I scowled at him when he laughed, but it wasn’t exactly in a mean way though. I mean, he had scared the crap out of me when he came through the roof the way that he did. I had been really worried about him when it had happened, not about the roof, but him. I don’t know why I was worried since I knew he was a strong guy, but still, I couldn’t help it. So with a sigh, I grabbed the bottle of aspirin and threw it to him, watching as he caught it in mid air.

“Thanks,” he breathed out, opening it and pouring a couple into his large hand, continuing his way to the kitchen.

I just sat down in the chair, resting my arms on the table along with my head. A moment later though, I heard Darry let out a startled sound and turned around, finding his whole front wet. I couldn’t help, but to start laughing. Apparently, he forgot what happened earlier.

“Let me get you a towel,” I said between breaths, getting up from my seat and going upstairs.

I came back down to find that he’d taken off his button up shirt, leaving in a white beater. It clung to his chest with how wet it was, showing off his muscles. Now, I could definitely tell that he was well built.

“I’m really sorry Darry, I should have reminded you,” I said with a laugh.

He just shrugged, taking the towel from my outstretched hand and started patting himself down, trying his best to dry his shirt. It didn’t seem to do much good though, but he still kept trying.

“Soda’s never going to let me live this one down,” Darry chuckled before looking up at me.

Now it was my turn to make a decision. Although, I didn’t really know what to do, so I just said the first thing that came into mind.

“Hey Darry, would it be too much to ask for a ride up to the store?” I asked, my eyes shying away a bit.

I wasn’t used to asking things like that of people and I’m sure he has plenty to do. Then again, you don’t know til you ask. The worst he could do was say no.

“I don’t see why not. Besides, I need to pick up a case of beer anyway. Those kids just about run me out of house and home,” he told me, running a hand through his hair to get a bit of water out.

“Your brothers can’t be that bad though,” I said, pretty sure that they weren’t.

Hell, I’m sure that Darry makes far more money than I do even though he’s looking out for his brothers and all. Me, I barely make enough money for my own self at times and yet I’m feeding two people.

“No, not them, we’ve got a problem with freeloads,” he told me, though I caught a bit of a joking tone in his voice amongst the seriousness of it all. “Steve and Two-Bit are always coming around and taking our food,” he told me.

“I’d be kicking someone out right quick if that happened here,” I said, turning my eyes toward him. “Then again, we’ve never actually had anyone over here anyway,” I told him, folding my arms behind my head for a moment.

I then turned back toward the steps, placing my hand on the railing, the smoothness of the wood meeting the sensitive skin of my hand.

“I just have to grab some money real quick,” I told him, before going up them once more and into my room.

The jar was still where I left it on my bed, a few bills laid out upon the bed sheet. I didn’t pay much attention to it though as I scooped them up and shoved them into my pocket, screwing the lid back onto the glass jar and placing it back underneath my bed. I made sure to shove it back all the way against the wall so that no one would see it. I mean, it’s not that I don’t trust my sister, but stuff has come up missing at times and there was never an explanation for it. Pushing that out of my mind though, I walked out of my room, closing the door behind me as I started down the steps.

“Alright, I’m ready. Are you sure you don’t mind doing this though Darry?” I asked.

“I’m sure,” he told me, before turning around and walking out my door.

I followed after him, locking the door behind me. When I turned around, I saw him pulling stuff out of the passenger seat of his truck and throwing it in the back of it. I noticed the light shade of blue that painted it, the paint chipping off in areas, while others were covered in rust. It still didn’t look too bad though.

“I think that should do it,” Darry said as he turned around to face me, holding the door open for me.

He was so nice. I now see where Ponyboy got his manners from. Darry was definitely a well mannered young man, and the more time I spent around him, I’d have to say a gentleman. That in itself was rare for me.

“Thank you,” came the sound of my own voice, which sounded a bit on the shy side.

I wasn’t used to people being so kind to me, yet here he was, doing just that.

* * *

“Darry, really, I’ve got it,” I told him, doing my best to hold onto both bags of groceries in my arms.

He just kept pestering me though as went back to the car, before finally getting close enough to grab one out of my hands. He walked straight to the truck after that, placing the bag in the bed of the truck. I followed suit, before getting in the truck, closing the door behind me. I was still surprised at how comfortable the seats were. They felt so good against my back.

“Comfortable?” he asked, causing me to jump slightly.

“Oh, yes, very much so,” I said quietly, closing my eyes and leaning back against the seat.

I just sat there quietly, listening to the sound of the engine as he pulled the truck out and away from the store. I could feel the slight pull of my body as the truck turned and the feeling of the cool air blow against me as Darry turned on the A/C.

It felt so nice, especially because it was so hot outside today. It was supposed to get a bit colder this week though, but I wasn’t really worried about that at the moment.

“So…” Darry started, keeping his eyes on the road. “How exactly did you and Ponyboy meet?” he asked, curious as to how I came to meet his brother.

“Well, like I told you last night, a guy couldn’t keep his hands to himself,” I said quietly.

“There’s more to it than just that though I’m sure,” he said, his eyes glancing over at me every few moments or so.

“Rodney and his friends have been causing trouble for me since June last year,” I told him, glancing down at my wrist to where the bruise was from last night’s scuffle. “He’s mad because I won’t go out with him. Personally, I think he’s an ass,” I said bitterly, rubbing my wrist.

Darry caught sight of this and grabbed the back of my hand, pulling it toward him to get a better look at it once we got to a stop light. He didn’t seem very happy at the sight of blue that clouded my normally light colored skin.

“Who did this?” he asked, glancing down at my wrist.

“I don’t know… I think it was David,” I said quietly taking my hand away and resting it in my lap.

I had issues with guys touching me at times, even though I know that Darry didn’t mean any harm by it, but still.

“Wait, not David Hamond?” he asked, the tone in his voice suggesting that he hoped he was wrong.

“Yeah. Someone pretty much threw him at me and I wound up kicking him in the face. Bastard nearly broke my wrist,” I told him, a feeling of bitterness welling up inside me.

“So, Ponyboy got his butt kicked for standing up for you then?” he suspected, pressing on the gas and moving the truck forward.

“He’s definitely the righteous young man,” I praised. “In fact, that’s the reason why him and Johnny weren’t spending the night in a jail cell with everyone else.”

“What?” he nearly choked out, turning his head away from the road for a moment.

“I made it a point to the officer that Ponyboy and Johnny had nothing to do with it, that they were defending me while I was being harassed on the job,” I explained.

Things stayed quiet for the next few minutes, not a single word being spoken until we reach my house. From there, he merely got out and grabbed my bags from the back, carrying them to the door as I followed behind him. He moved out of the way easily once we reached the door, allowing me to put the key in and unlock it.

I held the door open for him, allowing him to come inside and set everything down in the kitchen on the table. He then started helping me put things away, easily reaching the tall cabinets above my head. Before I knew it, everything was put away and I was left feeling hungry.

 _Hungry,_ I thought to myself, a smile slowly forming on my face as an idea popped into my head.

“Hey Darry?” I called from the kitchen

“Hm?” he asked, sitting there on the couch looking through his tool belt for a moment.

“How would you feel about a sandwich?” I asked, peaking my head out of the kitchen.

He looked up at me automatically, a smile starting to tug at his lips.

“A sandwich sounds nice,” he nodded, standing up from the couch and walking toward the kitchen.

“One sandwich coming up,” I said, sounding the way that I normally did when taking orders at the diner.

It’s funny how your job always seems to follow you home. It’s something that I realized quite some time ago, whether it’s my problems or work habits, they still managed to follow me home.


	3. Introducing Eden

**For the Love of a Greaser**

**Chapter 3**

**Introducing Eden**

     “Okay, I hope you like ham and cheese,” I said, placing two plates down on the kitchen table.

     Darry was already sitting down at this point. We were both ready to eat. I paused for a moment though as I went back over to the refrigerator, looking inside at what I had. I spotted a couple bottles of Coke at the back. I then looked over my shoulder at Darry, whom was already starting to eat his sandwich, not a single crumb falling onto the floor or table.

     “Hey Darry, would you like something to drink?” I asked, turning around with the Coke bottles in my hand, raising them up for him to see.

     “If you please Ma’am,” he said, his lips tugging into a small smile as I sat a bottle down in front of him.

     “Don’t call me Ma’am…” I said quietly, sitting down at the table across from him. “Besides, if I had to guess, we’re about the same age,” I told him. “Let me guess, 21, 22?”

     “22," he nodded, taking a drink of his Coke, before asking, "What about you?”

     “20. That means just call me Abigail or Abby, okay?” I asked, hoping to get my point across.

     I smiled a bit when he nodded, sitting his Coke back down on the table.

     “Alright then, Abigail.”

* * *

     It wasn’t much longer after eating that Darry went back up onto the roof, this time being extra careful where he stepped. He even took his tools up with him along with a bit of material to patch up the mess that he had made, but not before apologizing again.

     While he took care of the mess on the roof, I took care of the mess in my room, picking up and throwing the debris into a garbage bag. He had made quite a mess, but nothing that I couldn’t deal with on my own. Once I was done with that, I crawled under my bed, pulling out the jar of money. I just stared at it for a moment before placing it on my bed, unscrewing the top, and dumping it out on the sheet.

I hadn’t even noticed as I counted it out that the hammering on the roof had practically come to a stop. I just continued to sit there counting it, placing aside money for Eden to use for lunch, that and money for next weeks groceries.

“Damn it!” I hissed, before laying my head down in my arms.

With the current money that I had, I was going to be short on paying the bills. I thought that I would have been fine with the money I had earned the past couple weeks, but I guess I was wrong. I just didn’t have enough money.

“This can’t be happening,” I whispered, before getting up and grabbing the small pile of mail out of my dresser drawer.

I brought it back over to my bed, tossing the envelopes on the sheets with the money. Before I knew it, every bit of paper was scattered about the bed in frustration. I couldn’t keep doing this and I was already behind.

“I can’t keep doing this…” I sighed, sliding down the edge of my bed. “Eden shouldn’t have to go through this.”

Although, before I could do much of anything else, I heard the front door slam shut and the sound of a backpack being thrown to the ground unceremoniously.

“Eden?” I whispered, standing up and leaving my room.

I headed toward the stairs, standing there for a moment as I watched my sister go into the kitchen and slump against the side of the sink. She didn’t even realize that I was home.

“Eden?” I called, walking down the steps.

I walked into the kitchen, her head shooting up quickly to meet my gaze. Something was definitely wrong.

“Eden, sweetie, what happened?” I asked slowly, kneeling down in front of her.

When I tried to touch her though, she pulled away, shocking me to say the least.

“Eden, what happened?” I asked, taking hold of her shoulders and bringing her to look at me.

“What do you think?!” she spat angrily, trying to shove me away.

“Eden, stop it!” I told her, shaking her slightly to try and pull her out of it. “How am I supposed to know what happened unless you tell me?” I asked.

At that, she stood up pushing me and causing my back to hit against the chair.

“I got into another fight, okay?! I shoved the guy and then he hit me!” she yelled, a few tears falling and dripping from her chin.

I just sat there in shock as she said this, but it was short lived. I couldn’t believe that she had gotten into another fight, that, and the fact that a guy had hit her. It was then that I finally took in her appearance. She practically had a black eye starting to show. I could also see what looked like a bruise starting to form on her left wrist. I then stood up, walking over to her slowly, taking her by the arm and pushing up the sleeve on her jacket.

“Who?” I asked firmly, looking her in the eyes.

“Who do you think?” she asked bitterly.

“Eden,” I warned.

“It was Jeremy, okay!” she cried out.

It was then that Darry finally came in.

* * *

     He hadn’t meant to spy on Abigail, he was just curious at first as to what she was doing. From his spot on the roof it was easy to see her through the large sized hole that he had made. While he was working at fixing the hole in the roof, she was working on cleaning the mess in her room that he had made. After she was done with that though, he saw her crawl under her bed and pull something out. When she placed it on her bed, that’s when he finally noticed what it was, a glass jar.

She just opened it and poured it out, coins and paper bills falling onto the bed. After that, she began sorting it, putting different amounts off to the side. At this point, Darry had practically stopped with his hammering. Abigail didn’t even seem to notice.

“Damn it!” she hissed out, before burying her head in her arms.

It was obvious that she was frustrated. Even when she got back up and went over to her dresser, rummaging through it and bringing back a small bundle of mail. She just started ripping into them, looking them over and then throwing them onto the bed with the money. She seemed even more frustrated by things as she slid down the side of her bed. He wanted to say something to her, but he didn’t know what to say to her. Then, before he knew it, the front door slammed shut. Then within five minutes, there was yelling downstairs and he knew that he had to do something.

* * *

     “What’s going on in here?” Darry asked as he walking into the house, a look of concern on his face.

“Who’s he?” Eden asked, glaring at Darry.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry,” I said quietly, answering Darry’s question.

That was my mistake though because before I knew it, I was on the floor.

“Nothing? Nothing?!” Eden yelled while pushing me as hard as she could.

At that, Darry came forward and grabbed a hold of her from behind, making sure to keep a good hold on her even as she kicked and yelled.

“Abigail, are you alright?” Darry asked, grunting when Eden got in the stomach with her elbow the wrong way.

“Eden, stop it!” I yelled, grabbing her as she nearly kicked Darry between the legs.

All that I could do was pull her down to the floor with me and hold her against my chest, no matter how hard she beat against me to let go.

“Eden, please, stop this?” I whispered, holding onto her. “Please…”

It probably took her a good ten minutes before she finally calmed down enough to talk to me. I felt so bad for Darry though as he sat there on the floor, an arm over his stomach and a hand on his leg, both spots where Eden had gotten him.

“She’s strong,” Darry voiced, looking over at us as we sat there.

“Eden, I think before you decide to cause anymore _damage_ , I should introduce you to the guy that’s fixing our roof,” I said, gesturing toward Darry. “Eden, this is Mr. Curtis. Darry, this is my little sister Eden,” I said, introducing them to one another properly.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, still a bit winded.

Eden just sat there quietly, staring at him for some apparent reason. Then, after a moment or two she finally spoke up.

“Your brother’s terrible at science,” she said spitefully, still in a bad mood.

“Eden, that’s uncalled for,” I scolded, before getting shoved over again.

“Why, is he going to be your boyfriend or something now?” she asked, her voice raising a bit.

Darry just sat there dumbfounded, not understanding what was going on. He also seemed a bit shocked at Eden’s behavior toward both of us.

“Eden, that’s enough,” I told her.

She merely huffed and ran up to her room, slamming the door behind her.

“Are you alright?” Darry asked, pushing himself up off of the floor and coming to stand in front of me.

He held his hand out toward me, intending to help me up if he could. I just continued to sit there though, letting things run through my mind. When Darry saw this, he crouched down in front of me, I guess to make sure that I was alright. A moment later, he placed a hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“It’ll be alright,” he said, trying to reassure me. “Here,” he said, holding his hand out for me again.

I took it this time, letting him pull me up with him. He really was a nice guy, just like his younger brother Ponyboy. It just made me wonder what his other brother was like.

“So, are all you Curtis boys this nice?” I asked, joking around a bit, but still serious all the same.

He just gave me a small smile at this. I really needed that smile right now. Smiles like that were hard to come by these last few years. Even for me, it was hard to truly smile anymore.

“I really am sorry that you had to see that Darry, really I am,” I apologized.

It was definitely not something that I’d want people seeing. Especially, not Darry, since he was being so nice. There was that and the fact that I didn’t want people really seeing that side of my life. Most people didn’t realize that I was the only one raising Eden. They probably didn’t realize because I had finished high school with what seemed like little problem. That wasn’t the case though as life would have it. Some days Eden would love me, others, she’d hate me. Sometimes, she’d even cry for Mom, saying that I wasn’t her mother. My thing was, I wasn’t trying to be her mother, I was just trying to be there for her.

“I swear, some days she just can’t stand me,” I said with a sigh, running a hand through my hair as I stood there.

That was all that I said. I learned a long time ago not to talk about certain things with Eden around. If I did, I took the chance of her hearing and having them coming back at me in the worst of ways.

“Hey Darry, why don’t we just call it a day, alright?” I asked.

He seemed a bit confused by this though, so I explained it better.

“It’s probably best that you get back home and check on Ponyboy. The roof can wait another day. Besides, I need to take a walk and clear my head,” I told him.

He seemed to understand and nodded his head in agreement, seeing that I needed time to myself to think. I needed to think about what I was going to do with Eden.

“I really appreciate you coming over and taking a look at things Darry,” I said, grabbing my blue jean jacket from the couch.

“Not a problem Ma’am,” he said.

The moment those words came out of his mouth though, I stopped him, my fingertips pressing against his strong chest.

“Abigail, remember? No more Ma’am,” I told him, a small smile playing on my face.

“Sorry Abigail, I’ll remember next time,” he promised, his tool belt hanging on his shoulder again as usual.

“Be sure that you do, otherwise, I won’t let you back in tomorrow,” I said smugly, trying my best not to laugh. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, alright Darry?” I said, locking the door behind us.

“Alright then, tomorrow it is,” he agreed, walking over to his truck.

“Oh, and Darry,” I started, walking over to him as he set his stuff in the back, turning around to face me. “Here,” I said, holding my hand out.

“What is it?” he questioned.

“Just take it, alright?” I told him, grabbing his hand and placing a five dollar bill inside it.

I didn’t even give him a chance to protest as I walked away, waving over my shoulder to him as I left him standing there a little bit stunned.

* * *

     Before I knew it, I was back at the diner again, an apron wrapped around me. I felt bad about not returning to the house before work, but it couldn’t be helped, I had to do my job whenever it was time for my shift. I was also stuck helping Joe clean the place up too. Apparently, he hadn’t taken much time to clean things up this morning and just kept things closed. With that in mind, I’d likely be there all night continuing to help him clean things up after hours.

* * *

     The whole night was nothing, but people coming in every now and then. A lot of them were just getting things to go and that was about it. That left me with little money. I didn’t let that get me too upset though because I knew that it wouldn’t do me any good. So, I just put it out of my mind and kept sweeping the floor, making sure to get the pieces of glass out from underneath the tables.

I still found it hard to believe how much damage people can do. I was actually surprised that Joe even bothered to open the diner up today to be honest. Then again, there were a few loyal customers that always came no matter what, so I guess he felt that he owed it to them to be open. That’s Joe for you, one of the nicest ‘Socs’ around. That’s why you can’t always go with stereotypes, even if it is hard at times.

“Abigail, why don’t you get home, alright?” Joe said as he came out of the kitchen, a box in his hands.

I turned to look at him with a questionable look though, thinking that he would have at least wanted me to finish sweeping first.

“Abigail, go home dear, your sister needs you there,” he said.

I just stayed quiet and went back to sweeping. She didn’t need me there and I knew that for a fact. More over, she didn’t want me there. I sighed as I thought about that, taking things in again like I had earlier during my walk after Darry left.

Eden was 10 years old when Dad left and five when Mom died, I was only 11 years old back then. I suppose Eden was lucky, she wasn’t subjected to as much stuff as I was. Then again, we all suffered when Mother died. Another reason why Eden was lucky, was the fact she was so innocent. She didn’t understand what was happening with Dad because I wouldn’t let her. I always kept her away, so she never really realized that he had practically become a drunk. She had always looked up to him, so I took it upon myself to make it seem like she still could when we were younger. I just hope that she never finds out what really happened.

“Here,” Joe said, holding the box out to me that he’d been holding.

When I took a closer look, I found it to be a pie box. It wasn’t just any pie box though, this pie box had an entire thing of freshly made apple pie inside of it. It was still warm when he placed it in my hands, the warmth of it covering me and slowly moving up my arms a bit. It felt so good, but there was still one thing that I had to ask though.

“Why are you giving me this?”I asked, a bit curious about his reasoning.

“You did very well today,” he told me, going back behind the counter and grabbing my jacket, tossing it my way. “Now, get out of here kid, before I call the cops,” he laughed, before coming back around and gently shoving me out the door.

“You and your jokes Joe,” I laughed, pulling my jacket out.

“Well, I have to liven things up at some point,” he said with a shrug.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Joe,” I said with a wave of my hand as I headed down the street.

“Be careful, ya hear?” he called after me from the diner.

* * *

     I didn’t quite want to go home just yet, so I stopped by the park, finding a nice spot by the fountain to sit.

The sound of the water was a sweet melody to my ears as I sat there, turning my head to look up at the night sky. The only thing that I wished was that the temperature outside could be just a little bit warmer, but then again, it still felt nice out. I wish that Eden could see this though.

A shiver ran through my body a moment later, causing me to pull my jacket closer around myself, the warmth from the pie box on my lap radiating through my legs. It looked so good.

 _I think having the first slice to myself couldn’t hurt,_ I thought to myself, opening the lid and picking a piece out.

I brought it toward my face, the aroma reaching my nose with its lovely smell. I then took a bite, savoring the taste of it in my mouth. It had been so long since I had tasted something like this. Joe always did know how to make a mean apple pie.

“Mmm,” came the sound of my voice in satisfaction.

It tasted so good.

 _I hope Darry likes apple pie_ , I thought to myself, feeling the tugging at the corning of my lips.


	4. Shattered

**For The Love of a Greaser**

**Chapter 4**

**Shattered**

     The next day I woke up early. When I looked at my clock, it read 6:30. I expected Eden to still be asleep in her room, but when I looked, she was gone. I looked all over the house, but still found no Eden. This left me with only one answer. She was still mad at me and likely got up earlier and snuck out, probably over to one of her friends before school started. That left me to myself until Darry arrived, giving me enough time to wash up and take a bath since the shower didn’t work properly. Keeping that in mind, I went into the bathroom and turned on the hot water, letting it run for a few minutes while I went back into my room and grabbed some clean clothes.

     As I looked through everything, I concluded that I’d have to do laundry later. I just grabbed the first thing that I could find, that thing just so happened to be my slightly wrinkled sleeveless black shirt. I also grabbed my usual pair of jeans from my dresser. After that, I deposited them in bathroom and went down stairs, filling the tea pot with water and placing it on the stove. I figured at least then when I was done, I could have some hot water waiting for me so that I could have some refreshing tea for the morning. Also, I figured that I could possibly offer some to Darry if he was interested, it just depends.

* * *

     When I was done in the bathroom, I went back downstairs and turned the stove off, carefully removing the pot from the burner and placing it on a different one. This was something that I had done dozens and dozens of times before. At times, the act seemed almost ritualistic to a degree. Tea always seemed to relax and calm me down though, soothing my frazzled nerves. It’s what I’ve been using to keep me sane for years now. Although, sometimes I still didn’t really know what it was that I kept fighting for.

“Eden,” I breathed out.

She was my only reason to keep going at times. I promised Mom that I’d always look after her no matter what. What she didn’t know was that it would be far more literal than just watching out for my little sister. Instead, I’d be raising her by myself for about eight years, possibly a little longer depending on what happened the next four years of her life.

I tried to put all of this out of my mind though as I put a couple slices of bread in the toaster, turning the knob to make sure it was lightly done. I never did like my toast very crunchy. I grabbed a plate from the cabinet after that, sitting it on the counter next to the toaster and waiting for it to get done. I also grabbed my cup from the counter and poured the hot water into it, before grabbing a tea bag and placing it in the cup. I watched for a few moments as it floated on top of the water, slowly soaking in the liquid until it dropped to the bottom of the cup. Color followed shortly after, the tea spreading through the water and coating it with luscious flavor.

“That smells so good,” I sighed as the aroma of the tea hit me full force.

I took my time drinking my tea, savoring the flavor on my tongue. Some people loved coffee, but I loved my tea even more. Tea was also something that my mother got me started on.

* * *

     Nine o’clock came around quickly and I found myself waking up from my nap on the couch by a knock at the door and the sound of Darry’s strong voice.

“The door’s unlocked,” I said with a yawn, making sure I was loud enough for him to hear.

After I said it, I heard the door open and Darry’s footsteps walking toward the couch.

“I didn’t wake you did I?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck for a moment.

I just shook my head and yawned again, curling up a bit as I laid there on the couch, burying my head in my arm.

“Just…give me a…few more…minutes…to wake up,” I yawned, my mind fogging over as I dozed off again.

* * *

Darry stood there, watching her as she slept on the couch. He was at a loss for words. He had come over to continue his work on the roof as promised, yet here she was, sleeping once more. It was obvious that she was tired. Given the way she had talked the last time, she didn’t sleep very well and was likely up late last night. It was like him to a degree. He was always up worrying about everyone else that he never took the time to get proper rest his own self. He was sure that she had spent a good chunk of her night worrying about her sister, especially, given how things had gone when Abigail had introduced the two to each other. What Darry didn’t understand, was what Eden’s issue was with him. It was like she despised him for some reason or another. Not to mention the way that she treated Abigail.

Now, if Darry were any other guy, he simply would have started on his work and not bothered with the fact that Abigail was asleep. Darry wasn’t just any guy though, Darry was considerate. He figured he’d sit down in the kitchen for a bit and finish reading his newspaper, let her sleep just a bit longer before getting started. He knew that running on little sleep wasn’t good for her, just like it wasn’t good for anyone. Darry on the other hand was getting used to it, but that didn’t mean that he liked it. He enjoyed a good long sleep every now and then, just like everyone else did. She deserved a good sleep as well.

Sitting at her table, he’d glance over at her every now and then, his eyes steering away from his paper. She seemed so at peace while she was sleeping, yet when she was awake, there seemed to be something missing. He didn’t know what it was, but it bothered him a bit for some reason or another. He supposed the thing that bothered him the most though was the fact that she was still young and dealing with so much, kind of like him. That was one thing that he noticed. Just like him, his parents were gone and he was left to raise his brothers, she was left to raise her little sister. The only thing that he didn’t know was how everything came to be, how she ended up the way that she was.

After about a hour and a half though, he knew that he would have to wake her up and get started. It’s not that he didn’t mind taking a bit of a break and all, but he knew that he had to work on the roof. If anything, he’d at least have to patch up all of the little holes since it was supposed to rain tomorrow. He knew for a fact that Abigail wouldn’t want any more water getting into the house. So, with that in mind he got up from his chair, pushing it back in under the table and walked over to her.

“Abigail,” he called, nudging her shoulder with his hand gently.

She didn’t move, so he tried again.

“Abigail, wake up,” he called once more, this time a little loud.

“Mmm,” she groaned, curling up a bit, but still not opening her eyes.

Darry let out a sigh, running his hand through is hair for a moment, before crouching down in front of her. He sat there for a minute or two, sitting and waiting, until she finally opened her eyes.

“Have a nice nap darlin’?” he asked, the side of his mouth tugging into a faint smile.

“Darry?”

* * *

I was woken up from my sleep by the sound of a voice. At first I just passed it off as my imagination and curled back up, but afterward, I knew I wasn’t dreaming. I also noticed the familiarity in the voice, though their voice sounded a bit muffled to my tired and sleep ridden ears.

“Darry?” I groaned out as I opened my eyes, his figure a bit blurry at first as I rubbed them.

“Yep, it’s me,” he said, confirming my earlier thoughts.

“What are you…” I started with a yawn.

“You let me in, remember?” he said.

After that, everything came back to me. I remembered fixing myself some tea and toast, then taking a nap. I remembered letting Darry in some time after that. What I didn’t know was why he was sitting right in front of me though.

“Why aren’t you up on the roof?” I asked quietly, letting out another yawn as I continued to lay there and stare out at him.

“Well, you told me to let you rest a bit longer, so I thought it only fair to let you,” he told me, sitting there for a moment longer before finally deciding to stand back up. “Besides, if I was up there hitting on the roof, how would you be able to sleep?” he asked innocently.

This made me laugh, a small friendly smile breaking out onto my face.

“Thanks Darry,” I said softly, pushing myself up into a sitting position.

I was still a bit sore from yesterday though and couldn’t help, but let out a small groan.

“How long was I asleep?” I asked curiously, running a hand through my hair.

“I’d say a hour and a half to two hours, give or take,” he said with a small shrug of his broad shoulders, his thumbs hooking around his belt-loops.

“I’m sorry for holding you up for so long,” I told him, stretching my arms above my head, before standing and getting up off of the couch.

I nearly fell over as I did this though, placing a hand on my head as I steadied myself from my sudden dizziness. That normally happened when I was laying down for too long or after just waking up.

“You okay?” Darry asked, taking a firm hold of my shoulder, helping to steady me the rest of the way.

“Yeah, I just stood up too quick, that’s all,” I assured him.

My eyes then trailed down to his hand that was still on my shoulder. He saw this and quickly removed it, apologizing afterward. Strangely enough, I didn’t really mind that much, and in a way it was kind of comforting.

“Well, I’m going to get started on the roof. I’ll let you know when I’m done,” he said, grabbing his tool belt and walking out of the house.

I nearly laughed at this, sensing the slight awkwardness that he likely felt. Darry was definitely something else, that was for sure, but a good something to say the least.

* * *

     The same routine went on for a whole week. Each day Darry would come back and work on the roof a bit more, eventually redoing the whole roof for me. When I tried to pay him though he refused, saying that it was the least he could do for me after keeping Ponyboy and Johnny out of jail. Although, I suppose feeding him lunch everyday also had something to do with it, but that was beside the point. Heck, I even let him take a nap on my couch once. I was grateful though for his kindness, very grateful. I just wished that Eden could be the same.

Eden still detested Darry for some reason and was still hateful toward me. I honestly didn’t know how much more of it I could take. If she kept at it, then I’d likely end up breaking down and crying, which was something that I really didn’t want to end up doing in front of Eden of all people. Darry was still very understanding with the whole thing though, so I was lucky. I just didn’t understand Eden.

Unfortunately though as the week came to an end, so did Darry’s job. The roof was finished so there was no longer a need for his services. This left me with a particular sadness that I didn’t think I would feel. I had been without company or _friends_ for so long that I had gotten used to it, but then Darry came along and changed that. I didn’t want to be alone all the time anymore and I had come to enjoy his visits. We even talked about different stuff at times. Sometimes he would tell me stories about his friends while he worked on the roof and I’d just sit there on the porch listening to him and actually enjoying myself.

* * *

     “So, how are things going with that young man?” Joe asked as he leaned over the counter, the diner currently empty at the moment.

“You mean Darry?” I asked, turning my head to look at the man as I wiped down one of the tables.

“Of course I mean him. You seemed happy all week long,” he expressed.

I just turned my head away from him as he said this, going back to the table. I could almost see my reflection in it.

“He’s done with the roof, so he left,” I said, moving onto the next table and putting things where they should be.

“Well, that’s a darn right shame,” Joe said, walking down the length of the diner. “For a moment there, I thought that you might actually have yourself a decent boyfriend there for once,” he continued, glancing over at me as I continued to work.

I was glad that he couldn’t see my face because I went completely red at his statement.

“Come off it Joe,” I told him in embarrassment.

He merely laughed at this, enjoying the fun at embarrassing and picking at me. It seemed to be his favorite past time now a days since I’m the only one that ever seemed to get close to him. The other two girls that worked there from time to time were only there for the job, not the people. They could care less about anyone else, just as long as they were getting paid, then they were happy.

“You should find some way to see him again you know,” Joe said, a goofy grin on his face.

“Lord have mercy, don’t you ever stop Joe?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“No, not really.”

Lord have mercy, he was terrible. Absolutely terrible. The man was worse than the girls in high school at times.

“Hey now, you’re my best girl. I just want to see you happy,” he said, coming around from the counter and walking over to me.

“He’s just a friend though Joe, that’s all,” I said with a sigh, sitting down in one of the booths.

I was so tired, that, and I didn’t feel very good. I guess it comes with the rotten weather, since it had been raining for several hours now.

I looked out the newly replaced window in the diner and watch the lightening streak through the night sky, the thunder soon following after it. It was a beautiful, yet scary sight to see.

“I think it’s time we closed up for the night Abigail,” Joe said, going back and turning the light off in the kitchen.

He then came back and grabbed his jacket, along with mine from underneath the counter and met me by the door, handing it to me.

“Why don’t I give you a ride home? It’s a bit scary out tonight,” he said, hoping that I’d accept his offer for once.

I almost didn’t accept it, but after looking back outside again, I figured that I should. So with a nod of the head, I turned toward him.

“Alright, I suppose this once couldn’t hurt,” I said.

“That’s my girl. I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever let me give you a ride home,” he chuckled.

“It’s not that I’m not comfortable with the idea or anything Joe, it’s just that you live on the opposite side of town from me. I don’t want to take up your time,” I explained, shrugging my blue jean jacket on over my shoulders.

“Always thinking of everyone else, never your own self,” he voiced aloud, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his keys. “I’ll pull the car around,” he said, pulling the door shut and locking it behind him.

I stood there leaning against the glass under the oning as Joe ran around for his car through the pouring rain. About two minutes later, he was in front of me again, leaning over and opening the door for me.

“Thanks Joe,” I said, quickly getting in and closing the door behind me.

I was thankful for the heat in the car. It felt so good against my skin in this cold weather brought on by the rain.

“Now remember, I don’t come down this way too often, so you’re going to have to help me,” Joe told me as he turned down the road, keeping his eyes peeled for any problems.

“Take a right up here Joe,” I told him, pointing up ahead.

He nodded, turning once we got up to the intersection. He then continued on down the road at a slowed pace because of the rain. I watched the rain splash onto the sidewalk as the car drove through it, wetting the ground further.

“Take a left into this neighborhood,” I said once we were  close enough to the turn.

I could feel my body pulling in the other direction as he turned, righting myself as he continues further.

“Take another right at this second street. My house is the third one on the right,” I told him, pulling my jacket closer to myself as I got ready to get out.

I waited until he pulled up to my house, before grabbing hold of the door handle and turning toward him.

“Thanks for the ride Joe, I really appreciate it,” I said with a small smile.

“No problem Abigail. Oh, take this,” he reached out with a paper bag in his hand, holding it out to me. “A girl’s gotta eat, right?” he laughed, setting it in my hands.

“Thanks,” I said quietly, opening the door and running for it.

I waved as he drove off, pulling my keys out and unlocking the door. I shivered as I stepped inside, cold air blasting my face.

“Eden, why isn’t the heater on?” I called up the stairs, wiping my shoes off on the doormat.

I then took my jacket off and walked over to the other side of the room, turning the dial on the heater and turning it on. I placed my jacket down on the heater afterward so that it could dry off. It still took a couple minutes or so for the heat to kick in though.

“Eden, get down here,” I said as I stood by the steps for a moment.

I went into the kitchen with my bag, sitting it down on the table. I then went to the fridge and pulled out the milk, pouring a bit into my cup on the counter. Once I was done, I placed the milk back in the fridge and sat my cup down on the table.

“Eden!” I yelled, starting to get annoyed that she was ignoring me.

A minute later, I heard her stomping down the steps, turning into the kitchen with an angry look on her face.

“What?!” she spat, glaring at me.

“What in the world is wrong with you?” I asked, taking half a step back away from her.

“Nothing, nothing except for you,” she said in annoyance.

I stood there for a moment, placing my hands on my hips.

“Excuse me?” I raised an eyebrow at her, my voice going up a notch.

“You heard me. Where were you anyway? Out with your boyfriend?”

“Eden, that’s enough!” I said, my temper starting to flare.

She had no right talking to me like that, especially, when I had done nothing wrong to warrant it.

“You sound like Mom,” she said bitterly.

“How can you say that, you weren’t even around her enough,” I said.

“That’s why I hate you! You spent so much time with her and now you’re trying to replace her!” she yelled.

That was it, that did it.

“I’m not trying to replace her! How could you say that!?” I cried out.

“It’s true! Just like with Dad!”

That one really hit home. Now she was blaming me for our father leaving. She had no right saying such a thing.

“You’re wrong,” I said quietly, turning my back to her and opening the paper bag that Joe had given to me.

“How am I wrong? Tell me how I’m wrong Abby!” she yelled.

“You don’t know why he left…you don’t know what he was doing,” I told her, rubbing my arm for a moment.

“Dad was perfect. What I want to know is why he left,” she said, her voice still angry.

“No he wasn’t!” I cried, whirling around to face her. “That’s why I kept you away from him all those times!” I told her, trying to fight back my tears. “I kept you safe!”

“Liar, you kept me away from Dad!” she yelled back, shoving me into the table, my cup falling off and hitting the floor.

The sound of my cup shattering was almost like a smack in the face. It was Mom’s cup. It was my mother’s favorite cup. She had let me have it for my tenth birthday and now it was gone.

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I stood there, my hands placed on the edge of the table. I could feel myself shaking as I stood there.

“I can’t let you see me like this,” I whispered, before turning and running out the door.

I didn’t even bother to grab my jacket off of the heater before deciding to run. The rain didn’t even bother me as I raced forward, the rain mixing with my tears as I cried. I didn’t even know where I was going. I just ran, tripping over myself a few times, before pushing myself up to keep going. I didn’t even realize that I had run right passed Darry’s house without a single thought.


	5. Running After Abigail

**For The Love of a Greaser**

**Chapter 5**

**Running After Abigail**

      Ponyboy was seated outside on the porch, staring out at the rain. Darry was inside reading his newspaper and relaxing in his armchair like he normally did after a long day, Sodapop was up in his room trying to get some rest after being sick earlier that day, and their friend Two-Bit was lounging on their couch watching Mickey Mouse with a beer in his hand.

As Ponyboy sat there though, he watched as someone ran by their house. Sitting up, he saw that it had been Abigail. She slipped from time to time and it looked like she was upset. He also noticed that she didn’t have a jacket on.

“Miss Abigail!” he called, but she didn’t turn around, she just kept running.

“Darry,” Ponyboy called, running back inside.

Darry looked up at him as he called his name, forgetting about his newspaper for a moment.

“What is it Ponyboy?” he asked, his brow furrowing as he caught the worry in his brothers tone.

“It’s Miss Abigail, something’s wrong,” he said, causing Darry to stand up and drop his newspaper. “I just saw her run by. Darry, something’s wrong, she didn’t even have a jacket on.”

Darry knew what he had to do from there and it didn’t take much thought.

“Two-Bit, I’m taking your jacket,” Darry said, grabbing it from the couch and running out the door.

“Hey, what are ya doin’?” Two-Bit cried as Darry snatched up his leather jacket.

Darry didn’t hear him though as he ran outside. He could just barely make out Abigail’s form as she ran through the rain, the thick downpour blurring her figure.

“Abigail!” he yelled, running down the street as fast as he could, lightning striking through the night sky above them.

Ponyboy was right, something was definitely wrong. Even though Darry hadn’t known Abigail for very long, he knew that she wouldn’t just run out in the rain without a jacket like that, not this late at night.

“Abigail!” he called again, continuing to run after her, water splashing under his feet.

Playing football in high school was definitely coming in handy. Darry was able to run longer and harder than most others had on his team. In fact, he practically rivaled Paul, the Socs head honcho. Then again, Darry was still big enough to be a football player.

 _Damn, she can sure as hell run,_ Darry thought to himself, finally catching up to her once they reached the park, only because she fell and didn’t get back up.

“Abigail!” he called once more, slowing down a bit as he panted.

* * *

     “Abigail!” I heard my name being called as I ran, but I didn’t stop, I didn’t even turn around to face who it was.

All I wanted to do was run away from everything and never stop. If I stopped, then it would catch up to me. If I stopped, the pain would get me, it would swallow me whole. I couldn’t stop, I just couldn’t.

“Abigail!” they called again over the sound of the thunder.

I nearly slipped again as I ran, tears running down my face, mixing with the rain. The voice sounded so familiar and I was so tempted to just stop right there, but I didn’t. I continued to run, the lightning lighting my way as I ran. I didn’t stop until I was in the park, finally slipping on the wet grass. I didn’t bother to get back up that time though. Instead, curling into a ball and crying, the rain pelting down on my body.

“Abigail!” they called one more time, falling beside me a moment later. “Abigail,” they panted, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Darry?” I whispered, trying to wipe away the tears.

“Abigail, what happened?” Darry asked, worry evident in his voice as he peeled wet locks of hair away from my face.

I looked up at him, unable to stop my tears. He was soaking wet just like me, his bangs hanging in his face, dripping wet. His clothes clung to him just as mine did from the dreaded downpour.

“I can’t…I can’t d-do it anymore D-Darry, I-I just c-can’t,” I choked out, falling against him.

I felt him pull me into his arms as we sat there, holding me and giving me warmth from the cold rain. I had never felt so weak. I felt terrible having Darry see me like this. This was the last thing I wanted anyone, especially Darry of all people to see. I hated crying in front of people, I don’t know why, I just did.

“Is this because of Eden?” he asked, going out on a limb to find out his answers.

All I could do was nod though, trying to avoid speaking if at all possible.

“Abigail, you’re soaking wet,” he said, feeling part of my shirt.

“So are you,” I whispered, my forehead resting against his chest.

I already didn’t feel good to begin with, now I was wet and stuck out in the rain. I was just now starting to realize how sore my legs were as well, that, and how cold it truly was outside. I realized that in my quick attempt to flee, I had neglected to grab my jacket, and now I was shiver.

“Abigail?”

_Darry…_

* * *

     “Abigail?” he tried, trying to get her attention.

She didn’t respond though. Instead, she slumped against him a bit further, letting out a faint groan. When he took a closer look, he found that her eyes were closed and her cheeks were a bit red. Her face was pale and her breathing was shallow.

He brought his hand up to her face, brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek. Her skin felt warm to the touch, the same when he placed his hand to her forehead. She was sick and from what he could tell, she’d likely been that way all day long, perhaps without even noticing it.

“Abigail…” he breathed, feeling a tug at his heart.

She looked so fragile in his arms. Then again, Darry was a big guy, and Abigail was small compared to him. What was worse, was the fact that she was sick and in the rain no less.

Darry had so many things going through his mind as he sat there, the rain never yielding as it continued to pour, soaking his clothes and hair. His normally slick combed hair was now limp, his bangs clinging to his forehead, blinding his vision slightly. His shirt clung to his chest just like Abigail’s, but instead of white like his, hers was black. He was grateful for that, whereas Steve, Dally or Two-Bit would have been disappointed. That’s when he remembered Two-Bit’s jacket, quickly picking it up and wrapping it around Abigail’s shoulders. She didn’t make much noise as he did this or even when he picked her up, one arm under her legs, the other behind her back.

 _I have to get her out of the rain,_ he thought, turning back toward his house.

As he walked, he took in the fact of how light she was in his arms. She couldn’t be more than 115-120 max. Then again, he never saw her eat much of anything. He figured that it probably had to do with the stress of work and home. She probably just tried to sleep whenever she got the chance.

* * *

     “Ponyboy, open the door,” Darry called as he walked up onto the porch, easily keeping a good hold of the woman in his arms.

Ponyboy came running to the door a moment later, opening it up and stepping to the side to let Darry inside the house.

“Off the couch Two-Bit,” Darry ordered, getting ready to knock him off if he didn’t get up.

“Why do I…” Two-Bit stopped himself from going any further when he saw Abigail in Darry’s arms, quickly getting up off the couch and placing his beer on the table. “What in tar nation happened ta her?” he asked, slightly shocked as Darry laid her out on the couch, tossing Two-Bit’s jacket back at him.

“Ponyboy, go upstairs and get that blanket off my bed,” Darry instructed, placing Abigail’s head down on the couch cushion. “Two-Bit, watch her,” Darry said, walking into the bathroom and turning on the water and running it cold.

Darry ran the water cold as he stood there, grabbing a clean wash cloth from the counter and soaking it. He came back into the living room to find Two-Bit hovering over Abigail, poking and prodding her.

“Two-Bit!” Darry said in annoyance as he stepped forward causing Two-Bit to jump.

“What?” Two-Bit laughed, taking a sip of his beer.

“Leave her be,” Darry said firmly, pushing his friend out of the way.

Darry crouch down next to her as Ponyboy came running down the stairs, blanket in hand.

“Here Dar,” Ponyboy said, holding the blanket out to his brother.

Darry took it with a nod, placing it over Abigail’s shivering form. She looked even worse in the light now that Darry thought about it, then again, so did Soda. The poor kid got sick earlier and his face look almost green. Abigail didn’t look that great either, but at least she wasn’t green. No, she was just flushed and hot from fever.

“Is she going to be alright Dar?” Ponyboy asked as he stood near his brother.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine Pony. She just needs to get dry and sleep,” Darry told him, not taking his eye off of Abigail.

“So, who is she?” Two-Bit asked, combing his hair, trying to make himself look pretty incase she woke up.

“Her name is Abigail Winters. I’ve been working on her roof all week,” Darry said, placing the cloth on her forehead. “She’s also the one that helped keep Ponyboy outta the boy’s home,” he said deliberately, reminding his little brother.

“Wait, she’s the one you’ve been talkin’ ‘bout Ponyboy?” Two-Bit asked in disbelief.

“Ponyboy, what have you been tellin’ Two-Bit?” Darry asked tiredly.

“Nothin’, just that she’s real nice is all,” he assured him.

“Yeah, but ya never told ol’ Two-Bit how gorgeous she was,” Two-Bit said as though he were hurt that Ponyboy would keep such an important detail from him.

“Hey now, it wasn’t even relevant,” Ponyboy argued.

“Enough, both of you,” Darry warned as he went back to tending to Abigail, already feeling a headache coming on.

After a few minutes of sitting there though, a thought came to mind that he couldn’t let go of, a question that he had to ask.

“Ponyboy, I’ve got a question for you kid,” Darry started, turning his eyes toward his little brother that was now sitting in his chair. “Abigail’s sister, Eden, you have classes with her don’t you?” he asked.

“Yeah, I do, why?” he asked curiously, not understanding where his brother was going with this.

“How does she act at school?”

Darry was very careful with this question as he asked, almost hesitant to a degree.

“Fine, I guess. She gets picked on and made fun of a lot though,” Ponyboy explained. “It’s kind of sad actually. Apparently, her mom died when she was little and then her dad ran off a few years ago,” he said quietly, remembering that his own parents were gone.

“And she takes it out on Abigail,” Darry said with a sigh, putting the pieces together.

After that, he turned to his brother fully, standing up from his spot beside Abigail.

“I want you to do something for me Ponyboy,” Darry said, walking over to him and placing a large hand on his shoulder. “Stand up for her, okay? She obviously needs a friend and I think you’d do perfect,” he told him, before walking upstairs to his room to change.

He came back down a minute later in a pair of old sweat pants and a light gray beater, his wet clothes hanging from his arm. He simply went and placed them in the bathroom, hanging them over the shower curtain to dry.

“So, if she’s on the couch, then where am I supposed to sleep?” Two-Bit asked, looking between Darry and Ponyboy.

They just stared at him for a moment, before Ponyboy turned to Darry for an answer.

“The floor,” Darry said flatly, turning down the lights a bit.

* * *

_Things kept going in and out of perspective. I kept seeing Mom and Dad. It was how things used to be, everyone laughing and smiling together. Things were happy and simple. My heart hurt as I remembered all of this, seeing it before my eyes again once more._

_Mom was so beautiful with her long brown hair and light blue eyes. Her smile seemed to light up the world around her, her laugh a bell of joy._

_“Mom…” I whispered, reaching out to her, but she just disappeared before my eyes in a cloud of dust._

_I could hear the sound of Eden’s cries and screaming for our mother, the sound of Father’s pain, even the sound of my own sobbing. Eden was only five years old, I was eleven, all we had was each other._

_“Dad…” I whispered, hesitantly reaching out, only to have him disappear too._

_I turned to Eden, her figure far away. I was so afraid that she would disappear too. If something were to happen to her… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself any longer._

_“Eden…?” I choked out, reaching out to her._

_I almost had a hold of her, and then she disappeared, vanishing before my eyes._

_“It’s your fault,” a voice echoed around me._

* * *

      I woke up to find myself crying, unable to stop myself. I couldn’t help it. Those thoughts in my head, they tormented me to no end. What Eden had said, it brought back thoughts of Mom and Dad, thoughts of the way things used to be. It tore me apart.

“Abigail?” came the sound of a tired voice, sounds of footsteps reaching toward me.

I looked up through my tear filled eyes, confusion written on my face as I saw the person in front of me.

“Darry…?” I whispered, lost for words as he stood there. “What…” I did even know where to begin as I tried to push myself up, groaning a bit in the process.

I felt absolutely horrible at the moment, almost sick to my stomach. I soon found myself hunching over, and my arms hugging myself. Tears still fell from my eyes as I set there shaking, crying from my dreams.

“Abigail, what’s wrong?” Darry asked, kneeling down in front of me. “Abigail,” he whispered softly, boldly placing a hand on my cheek.

I looked up at him as he did this, not shrinking away from him like I would others. I just stared into those bright blue eyes of his, tears still falling.

“I feel like I’m losing her Darry,” I choked out, shivering as I sat there.

I felt so cold. That’s when I noticed that my clothes were still wet. I had been so stupid and just ran off without even thinking. The thought of that made me cry even more, causing me to try and hide myself.

* * *

     Darry didn’t know what to do. He had woken up to the sound of crying, only to find Abigail on the couch in tears. Now, he was right in front of her and she was still crying.

 _What would Mom and Dad do?_ he thought to himself, before sitting down on the couch and pulling her against him.

He remembered what his parents used to do when Ponyboy was little. If he had a bad dream, he would go to their mom or dad and they would hold him. Either that or they’d come into his room, sit down and ask what was wrong, rubbing his back gently in an attempt to calm him. They’d done the same thing for Darry and Sodapop when they were small too.

“It’s alright, you’re not going to lose her,” Darry assured her, feeling her curl a hand around the material at the front of his shirt.

They sat there like that for a while, Darry holding her and rubbing her back, her sitting in his arms and crying into his chest. There was a feeling of closeness in it, a feeling of trust, a feeling of comfort on both sides. It was something good and genuine.

Sure, Darry had had a girlfriend or two in high school. He’d held a girl in his arms before, but this felt a bit different. He didn’t really know where to place the feeling that he felt while holding Abigail. Although, it did feel nice to comfort someone for once, since he never had been very good at it. The nice thing about it was that she accepted it. She accepted his help, his attempt at comfort, his holding her.

Too wrapped up in helping Abigail, Darry hadn’t even noticed that Two-Bit had woken up and was watching them, a smirk on his face.

“Well, lookie here,” Two-Bit said with a laugh, causing both Darry and Abigail to look over at him.

Abigail just hid her face against Darry, not wanting to look at his friend. Darry on the other hand sent a glare his way.

“Knock it off Two-Bit or I swear I’ll kick you right outta this house and into the rain,” Darry threatened, holding Abigail just a bit closer to him.

He didn’t appreciate that Two-Bit was trying to get his kicks in at Abigail’s expense. In fact, he’d be damned if he let Two-Bit even try it. Having someone like Two-Bit laughing at them for sitting there together was the last thing that Abigail needed, even if it wasn’t directed toward her, but instead toward Darry. None of the gang had ever seen Darry the way that Two-Bit saw him right now, that’s why Two-Bit was laughing because it was so strange, but it wasn’t to Abigail.

“I mean it Two-Bit,” Darry warned as Two-Bit tried to stop laughing.

“Fine, fine, I’ll just go upstairs to Pony’s room then,” Two-Bit said with a stupid grin on his face.

“You better keep quiet then and don’t even think about waking Soda up,” Darry said, turning his attention back to Abigail, feeling her breathing even out just a bit as she calmed down a bit more.

Darry could hear the sound of Two-Bit’s footsteps as he went upstairs. Darry just kept his eyes on Abigail, hearing her sniffle and hiccup as her tears slowed. She had also turned her face back around away from the couch now that Two-Bit was gone, her eyes closed as she tried to regain control of her breathing.

“How about I turn on the radio?” Darry asked, his hand resting on her back still.

He felt her nod her head in response, not trusting her voice at the moment. With that, he leaned over a bit, turning the on the radio on the table, the sound of Elvis Presley streaming through and into the air around them. Elvis Presley’s song, “Devil In Disguise,” came belting out smoothly, along with the sound of Abigail’s laugh.

* * *

     Darry gave me a funny look when he heard me laugh, but I couldn’t help it, “Devil In Disguise,” was one of my favorite songs. Also, I found it funny that that song was the one that came out at that moment.

“I’m sorry,” I smiled a bit, turning my head tiredly to look up at him as I laid there. “It’s one of my favorite songs,” I told him, watching a small smile start to form on his own face.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just nice to hear you laugh,” he said softly, glancing back over at the radio for a moment, listening to the sound of the music.

I closed my eyes, laying there as I listened to the sound of Elvis Presley’s music. It felt so good to hear that sound. What I found even better, strangely enough, was the fact that Darry was there with me to hear it.

The next song that came on was, “Jailhouse Rock,” another one of my favorites. I couldn’t help, but to smile as I heard it. It was a little bit more upbeat, but I didn’t care, I still loved it all the same. I could tell that Darry did too as he laid there with his back against the couch, his face nice and relaxed. It was nice that he could appreciate the sound that music gave.

“Thank you Darry,” I said quietly, my eyes half open as I yawned, staring over at the radio.

I felt him move slightly before speaking, turning his head toward me.

“What for?” he asked.

“For coming after me,” I told him, enjoying the feeling of my chest against his chest, the warmth radiating off of him.

Darry gave me a kind smile as I said this, pulling the blanket up around us, before letting his arm rest around me once more.

“You’re welcome _Miss_ Abigail,” he said, a small smirk on his face when I looked up at him, shoving him in the chest playfully with my hand.


	6. Damn You!

**For The Love of a Greaser**

**Chapter 6**

**Damn You!**

     Darry and Abigail slept all night together on the couch, falling asleep to the sweet and comforting melodies of Elvis Presley. It had been the first time in a long time that Abigail had slept decently. In Darry’s arms, she felt safe, and that allowed her to finally sleep in peace for the first time in years. Even Darry himself had slept without waking up. Normally, much like Abigail, he’d wake up several times during the night and check up on his brothers. This time though, he slept peacefully without a problem.

The peace was cut a bit shorter than it should have been though with sounds of laughter and awe. Apparently, Two-Bit couldn’t keep his mouth shut and the whole gang ended up in Darry’s living room that morning, watching him and Abigail sleep.

“Hey, Soda, when’s the last time you saw ol’ Dar with a girl?” Ponyboy asked his brother, looking between Darry and Abigail.

“Well, its been a while, that’s for sure,” Soda told him honestly.

The reason why it had been awhile for Darry, was the fact that he had given up on college to raise and take care of Soda and Ponyboy. He put so much time into his work that he never took enough out of it to actually relax and try to have a girlfriend. The last time that Darry had a girlfriend was back when he was still in high school. Now, he had Abigail laying there in his arms in front of everyone.

“It’s so sweet, I think I’m gonna be sick,” Dally said with a smirk on his face, walking over and kicking Darry’s leg with his foot. “Hey, wake up.”

They all heard a small groan come from him as he opened eyes, rubbing his face for a moment as he tried to wake up.

“What are you doing here Dallas?” Darry asked, looking around at everyone.

“Well,” Dally started, a smirk on his face. “I got a call from Two-Bit, said I should come over and see _this_ ,” he said, referring to Darry and Abigail as he stood there with his arms folded over his chest.

“Two-Bit,” Darry groaned, sending an annoyed look his way.

“Sorry Dar, I couldn’t resist,” Two-Bit laughed.

As a result of all of this, Abigail woke up a moment later from the noise, twisting and turning a bit against Darry in a tired manner.

~T~

I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t, the sound of laughter filling my ears. The laughter sounded familiar though, the same from last night. I found the culprit though upon opening my eyes. It was Darry’s friend, Two-Bit, if I remember it correctly.

“Oh, great…” I muttered under my breath, trying to hide against Darry again like I had done last night.

“Cute,” I heard someone laugh, causing me to glare and turn my head back around.

I found the culprit this time to be a guy with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was a little tall, with what looked like a brown leather jacket and jeans. My eyes narrow at this. I knew him and I hated him.

“You!” I yelled, my back against Darry.

“Hello, Abby,” Dally grinned.

“I should smack you right now Winston,” I said angrily, glaring at him and moving to stand.

Before I could do anything though, I felt Darry wrap his arms around me, holding me in place. To my dismay, Dally’s grin only grew from there.

“How do you know Abigail?” Darry asked, holding me against him so that I couldn’t hit Dally.

“Well, I,” he started, but before he could go making up some ridiculous story, I stopped him.

“The creep grabbed my butt at the diner the last time I saw him,” I hissed, catching everyone’s attention.

“You what!?” Darry’s temper flared a bit as he looked toward Dally for conformation.

“Hey, you should control your girl,” he snickered, pulling out a cigarette.

“You know what!” I yelled, pulling away from Darry and lunging at Dally.

I managed to knock him on the floor and get a hit in, the cigarette falling from his mouth, before he flipped me over so he was on top and pinned my arms above my head. He then rubbed his cheek for a moment as everyone stood there watching us warily. I could see that Darry was ready to grab him at any moment though.

“You know, I kinda like this position,” he said huskily, leaning in close to my face.

I just glared at him, before bringing my knee up hard between his legs, causing him to double over in pain.

“Damn you!” he groaned, narrowing his eyes at me for a moment.

I just pushed him off of me, standing up and shoving him with my foot in the side.

“Pig,” I spat, before turning and looking at everyone.

They just stood there, shocked expressions on their faces. Two-Bit had a goofy grin on his face, while Darry looked stunned. Then there was Ponyboy. Lord have mercy, I think I might have scared the poor kid for life.

“Dang girl, remind me never to get on your bad side,” one of the guys said.

“Who are you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Name’s Steve, Steve Randle,” he said, introducing himself.

“Abigail Winters,” I replied, before turning my gaze toward the other one.

“Sodapop Curtis.”

“So, you’re Soda,” I smiled.

“Yes Ma’am,” he nodded politely.

This made me laugh a bit, looking over at Darry, then Ponyboy.

“Just like your brothers, polite as ever I see,” I smiled, placing my hands behind my back.

“And you’re…Two-Bit,” I said, looking at the one wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt.

“Yes Ma’am, Two-Bit Matthews at your service,” he said with a playful bow.

“Now, why can’t you be a bit more like Two-Bit here?” I asked as crouched down in front of Dally, picking the cigarette up from the ground and bending it in half, ruining it in the process.

He just glared at me, before sitting up, still holding the part of him that identified him as a man. I found it funny though. He had put me in a bad mood and then we went and switched roles.

“I kinda like this position,” I said, a small grin on my face.

He let out a small growl, turning his face away from me so as not to look at me.

“You’re lucky you’re a girl. I don’t hit women, so leave me alone,” he told me, trying to stand up.

“And maybe that will teach ya to keep your hands to yourself Winston,” I retorted, turning back toward Darry and sitting back down on the couch.

Darry stood there for a moment longer, before sitting back down his own self next to me on the couch, watching as Dally left the house all together.

“Now that introductions are over, how ya feeling?” Darry asked, placing his hand against my forehead for a moment.

“Better, I guess,” I said quietly, letting out a sigh as I wrapped the blanket around myself.

“You’re still a bit warm,” he voiced, leaning down and picking the washcloth up off the floor.

He then went into the kitchen, running the water cold I supposed, also leaving me alone with the guys. Two-Bit took advantage of this though, quickly coming over and sitting down on the couch next to me, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

“So, where ya from darlin’?” he asked, that usual grin on his face as he took a drink from his beer.

“Um…down the street?” I said, raising an eyebrow as I looked over at his arm.

“Nice,” he smiled in a satisfied manner. “I’ll have ta pay ya a visit some time,” he said, pulling me a bit closer.

Even thought I knew that he didn’t mean any harm by it, it still scared me a bit to have his arm around me like that.

“Two-Bit, lay off,” Darry warned as he walked back into the room. “You’re making her uncomfortable,” he told him, walking over and pushing him off.

Once Two-Bit was out of earshot from my whispers I spoke up.

“Thanks…”

He just nodded, trying not to draw any more attention to us as he took the washcloth and placed it on the back of my neck.

T

“So, how old are you anyway?” Steve asked, sitting on the floor near the couch.

He was playing cards with Two-bit, both of them drinking beer.

“Don’t you know it’s rude to ask a woman’s age?” I asked, trying to hide the smile on my face. “20, why?”

“No reason really, just you’re around Super-dope’s age is all,” he said, grinning as he looked Darry’s way.

“Shut it Randle,” Darry warned from the kitchen.

 He was making breakfast or more like brunch given what time it was. I just sat there on the couch watching everyone. I did notice that Two-Bit’s attention was mainly on the TV though, watching Mickey Mouse.

“Well, how old are you Steve?” I asked, leaning back into the couch a bit more.

“16,” he said, throwing a card at Two-Bit’s face to get his attention.

“Soda?” I asked, turning toward the second oldest of the Curtis brothers.

“16,” he replied, watching his best friend start wrestling around with Two-Bit, both trying to put each other in a headlock.

The two went tumbling all over the place, knocking into things until eventually, Two-Bit was thrown onto the couch. He nearly landed on me, causing me to let out a yelp.

“Would you two stop it,” I said, quickly getting up off the couch and going into the kitchen where it was safe.

 I stood there watching the two roll off the couch and onto the floor, knocking the coffee table over in the process.

“Would you two knock it off before you break something,” Darry said, before looking over at me. “You alright?” he asked, worried that perhaps the two had hurt me in their foolishness.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I assured him, watching as he cooked.

He seemed to do it with such ease. It made me wonder if he did all the cooking in the house, then again, I wasn’t one to judge. In fact, I rather liked the idea that he could cook, it meant that he could take care of himself.

“How do you like your eggs?” he asked, glancing over at me for a moment, before turning back to the skillet.

“White done with the yellow runny,” I told him, looking down at my hands.

A moment later the sound of something breaking was heard from the living room. Darry and Iboth went and looked, only to find the lamp on the floor in pieces.

“Damn it guys, I said to lay off for a reason!” Darry said in annoyance.

“I’ll take care of it,” I said softly, placing my hand on his arm.

He looked down at me for a moment, debating what to do. Looking over at the guys in the living room he let out a sigh, nodding his head, before going back to cooking.

“Hey, Ponyboy, take a walk with me?” I asked, walking toward the door.

“Sure, but give me a sec,” he said, running upstairs real quick.

I stood there for a moment, waiting for him to come back down as the others continued with what they were doing.

“Two-Bit, let her have your jacket for a bit,” Darry told him from the kitchen.

Two-Bit turned to me a moment later, shoving Steve out of the way and handing me his leather jacket. Ponyboy came back down a second later wearing a zip up hoodie.

“Here ya go baby, it’ll keep ya nice and warm,” he smiled as he placed it in my hands.

“Um…thanks,” I said awkwardly, taking it and putting it on.

It was surprisingly warm.

“You ready Ponyboy?” I asked, standing at the door.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

T

The walk to my house was quiet for the most part, save for Ponyboy’s curiosity toward my health and well-being. He had asked me about what happened last night, but I didn’t say much on the matter. I just told him not to worry about it, that I was fine and might try talking about it later, but I doubted it. At the moment, Darry was more likely to hear about it than anyone else.

When we made it to my house, I unlocked the door, opening it and stepping to the side to allow Ponyboy inside.

“Eden?” I called hesitantly as I looked around.

There was no sight of her anywhere.

“I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home,” I told him, before turning and walking up the stairs.

I went into my room first, walking in and looking around. Everything was as I had left it, not a thing out of place. The bed was still made and the pictures was still their places or at least I thought so anyway.

When I took a closer look, I found that Mom and Dad’s picture was missing, but not just any picture of Mom and Dad. The picture that was missing was our family portrait.

“Eden…” I whispered, sighing for a moment before I looked under the bed.

The jar was still there and I pulled it out, unscrewing the lid and pulling a few bills out. I then shoved them into my pocket, before screwing the lid back on and shoving the jar back under my bed. After I was done with that, I walked back out of my room and closed the door behind me, quietly walking over to Eden’s room.

“Eden?” I whispered, opening her door.

There was no response, but as I went inside, I found her sleeping on her bed. She had the picture from my room wrapped up in her arms, her face against the glass as she laid there curled up in a ball. I nearly cried as I looked down at her.

“Eden…” I said softly, reaching out and placing a small bit of hair behind her ear with my fingertip.

She probably didn’t fall asleep until late, that’s why she was laying there still sleeping. I couldn’t help, but to sigh though as I pulled her blanket up around her, kissing her forehead before leaving and going back downstairs. I found Ponyboy looking at a couple of pictures on the wall when I came down, his eyes scanning over them as though trying to take everything in.

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” I asked, coming to stand beside him.

“Nothin’ really, just lookin’,” he told me, glancing up at the picture again. “Is that your mom?” he asked, gesturing toward the main one.

“Y-Yeah,” I said quietly, looking up at it as well.

It was a black and white still of my mom when she was around my age. She was so beautiful.

“You look like her, ya know?” Ponyboy commented.

All I could do was nod my head, before going and walking into the kitchen. He stood there for a moment before following, curious as to what I was doing I suppose. I didn’t put much thought into it though as I opened the fridge, taking out the remainder of the pie. I saw Ponyboy’s eyes light up a bit upon seeing it, a small smile forming on my lips.

“Would you like to carry this back for me?” I asked, holding it out to him

“Sure,” he nodded, easily taking it from my hands and following me back into the living room.

He stood there by the door, watching as I went to the other side of the room by the heater and unplugged the lamp. He gave me a funny look as I did this, carrying the lamp in my arms.

“We rarely ever use this one,” I told him, ushering him out of the house and closing the door behind me.

T

While Abigail and Ponyboy were out on their _walk_ , Darry finished cooking the food, setting everything on the dining room table.

“Don’t even think about it,” Darry warned, placing a hand down on the table to stop Steve from grabbing Abigail’s plate of food.

“Come on, Dar, I’m hungry,” Steve groaned.

“Then go get something else, this is Abigail’s,” he told him, turning back to the fridge and grabbing the milk.

“Thinkin’ about your girlfriend?” Steve grinned, moving out of the way as Darry tried to make a grab at him. “Hey Soda, I think I hit a nerve,” Steve laughed, running around the table and over to the door.

Darry was right behind him, ready to grab him when he opened the door on Abigail and Ponyboy.

“Randle!” Darry exclaimed angrily as he saw Abigail sitting on the porch outside, her hands on her nose, and a thin white box on the floor.

“I told you something would happen,” Ponyboy said quietly as he sat down next to Abigail, placing his hand on her shoulder.

T

“Are you okay?” Ponyboy asked.

“Yeah… This is officially the second time I’ve been hit in the face with a door,” I groaned, still hold my nose in pain.

I was so glad that Ponyboy managed to convince me to let him hold the lamp instead. He had warned me that something stupid might happen once we got back and he was right. I just didn’t think that it’d be something like this though or that I’d be the one to get hurt. Although, I suppose it could have been worse, I could have ran into Dallas Winston again today.

“Out of the way,” Darry said, pushing Steve aside and coming to kneel down in front of me. “Let me see,” Darry said, reaching out and gently pulling my hand away from my face.

I hissed in pain as he touched my face, gentle as he was, it still hurt.

“You’re lucky you didn’t break her nose, otherwise, I’d kick your head in,” Darry threatened as he helped me up, leading me back inside.

“Hey Ponyboy, bring that lamp in for me would ya?” I asked as I followed Darry inside and over to the couch.

“Lamp?” Darry questioned, looking back over to the door as Ponyboy brought the thing in. “You didn’t?”

“I told you I’d take care of it,” I said quietly, leaning my head back as my nose started to bleed a bit. “Besides, that one never gets used anyway,” I told him.

He didn’t say much after that, instead, getting some tissues and helping me with my nose. I still couldn’t believe that I’d gotten hit with a door. That had only happened once when Eden was pissed off at me and slammed the door in my face as I tried to come inside. Hell, I can only imagine what Dally would do if he were here. He’d be laughing his ass off probably, but who knows. Although, I’m sure that he’ll find out about it eventually if Two-Bit’s the way that I think he is.

“You alright baby?” Two-Bit asked as he came over, trying to take a look at me.

“Yeah, I’m fine, and don’t call me baby,” I told him, turning my eyes toward Darry as he dabbed at my nose again. “Ah.”

“Sorry.”

I just shook my head at his reply, pulling his hand away from my face for a moment.

“It’s alright,” I told him, before laying back on the couch properly so that he could continue.

I would have just told him to stop, but I didn’t. In a way, I didn’t mind him doing this, helping me the way that he was. To be honest, it felt nice, having someone care enough to actually help me like this. The thought itself made me smile a bit, therefore catching Darry’s attention.

“What?” he asked.

“N-nothing, I’ll tell you later,” I said quietly, my eyes glancing over at the others that were seated around the room.

He seemed to understand, so we left it like that, quiet without a word as everyone went about their business.


End file.
